Ladder



April 14, 1942. j .LE KING 2,279,329

NNNNNN OR A T T O R N EY A iil14,1942. v 15 KING v 2,279,329

led Aug. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 14, 1942 LADDER Jesse E. King, Laurel, Miss.

Application August 20, 1940, Serial No. 353,359

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 2 Claims.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1833, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described and claimed, if patented, may be manufactured and used by error the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty there- This invention relates to a portable ladder useful as an accessory attached to the body of a truck, and the like, near the rear end to make it easy to load the truck or for a person to climb into it. When the ladder is not in use, it is disposable in an out-oi-the-way position, in which position it is automatically locked, thereby obviating any danger of losing the ladder in transit.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of this invention in which Figure l is an isometric view of the ladder and housing in collapsed position, and Figure 2 is an isometric view of the ladder. and housing attached to the bottom of a truck body (fragmentarily illustrated) in the extended position, part of the housing being broken away to show one of the hooks 25 engaging the bar 26.

Referring with more particularity to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment illustrated comprises a cage-like the tread 20 when the ladder is disposed in the housing in the horizontal position, as shown in Figure l. The tread 25 is provided with a notch 23 which is adjacent the strip 21 when the ladder is in its collapsed position, and the upper end of the strip 2! is bent into a U-loop 29 to fit in the notch 28. The sides of the loop 29 are substantially at right angles to the main portion of the strip 21. The upper sideof the loop is extended and provided with an aperture 30, substantially as shown. Directly above the aperture 39 a lever 3! is pivoted to a bracket 32 extending from one of these suspension strips 12, or from any other suitable point. The lower arm of the lever 3! is curved forwardly and en. gages the slot 39. is pivoted to one end of a rod 33, the other end terminating at the rearof the housing. A pull on the rod 33 forces the loop 29 to be elevated thereby releasing it from its normal engagement ith'the groove 23 and, consequently, releasing the ladder so that it may be withdrawn from the housing and placed'in the position shown in Figure 1. When it is desired to return the ladder to its normal collapsed position within the housing the lower end is simply lifted and slid forwardly between the bars 24 and 26 until the loop 29 automatically engages the notch 28, the

housing, indicated generally by the numeral Ill,

which is fabricated of strips of metal, forming a base I l and suspension strips I2 on the sides and forward end. Suitable braces l3 are provided. The strips i2 are bent horizontally atthe upper ends to form flanges M, which flanges are provided with apertures It through which suitable screws or bolts it may be disposed for the purpose of suspending the housingin a fixed position from the bottom of a truck body H. The ladder i8 is of the conventional type, having two side bars 89 between which treads 20, 25, and 22 are fixed. The ladder may be of any length desired, depending upon the elevation necessary, and of any suitable material, preferably wood.

The top of the ladder is provided with anchor.

ment with the transverse bar 26 at the rear of the base II, which is directly below the bar 24.

A hook 25 is 7 The space'between the bars 24 and 26 is sufficient v to accommodate the ladder l8.

At'the forward end of the housing a latch is provided for holding the ladder in a collapsed or foldable position. The latch illustrated comprises a yieldable strip of metal 21 secured to the base II and bent upwardly and rearwardly at an angle so as to be approximately parallel to incline of the tread 28 serving to elevate sulficiently the loop 29 against the yieldable action of the strip 21.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described in combination with the floor of a vehicle comprising a ladder, a housing for said ladder attached to the under side of saidfloor, said housing having a bottom to slidably support the ladder, means for releasably securing the ladder within the housing against the bottom thereof in a horizontal position, means for disposing the ladder in an operative position at one end of the housing, said disposing means including hooks and abutments on said ladder to engage the housing. a

2. A device of the character described in combination with the floor of a vehicle comprising a ladder, a housing for said ladder attached to I the under side of said floor, a yieldable latch disposed within the housing to hook over the rearward tread of the ladder when the ladder is in a horizontal position within the housing, a lever fulcrumed between itsends at a point fixed with lever, the other end of said rod terminating at the opposite side of the housing.

JESSE E. KING.

The upper arm of said lever 

